Pioneer Tower @ Will Rogers Memorial Center on Flickr! – Visit the Flickr page for larger versions.

Across the street from Fort Worth’s museums, just outside downtown in the Cultural District, sits the Will Rogers Memorial Center, a grand Art Deco expo center built in the ’30s. Pioneer Tower rises from the center, flanked by the ornate auditorium and arena buildings. In the foreground, Electra Waggoner’s sculpture of Will Rogers can be seen. The Will Rogers center is the home of the world-famous Southwest Exposition & Livestock Show, aka the Fort Worth Stock Show, as well as countless other events. Its arena was the first in the world to feature a self-supporting roof, which allowed the interior to be free of columns. Modern domed stadiums are all based on the engineering work done at the Will Rogers Center in the ’30s.